Sunday NFL Insider: Romo came from out of nowhere

DUANE BURLESON • Associated PressTony Romo is guaranteed $55 million from his latest contract with the Cowboys — a far cry from his rookie season, when he was only assured $10,000 signing as an undrafted free agent.

Romo said he had nibbles from 15 to 20 NFL teams immediately after the 2003 draft. Of course, as Romo noted, that interest level came from 15 to 20 teams, “that really didn’t like [me] enough the previous 48 hours.”

So, Tony, what did the Cowboys have to fork over to get the late-bloomer from Eastern Illinois? Five hundred bucks?

“Yeah, I made a little more than that,” he said. “I think it was 10 grand, actually, which felt like a year’s paycheck coming out of college. It was nice.”

Say what you want about Romo. He has been labeled as a guy who can’t win the big game. A guy who is prone to mistakes late in games. A guy who is 1-3 in the postseason. But there aren’t too many teams, the Vikings obviously included, who wouldn’t swap quarterbacks for Romo.

Romo is 59-42 heading into his 102nd NFL start. Among quarterbacks through 100 starts, Romo ranks No. 1 in completions (2,262) and passing yards (27,485). He also ranks third in touchdown passes (189) behind only Dan Marino (214) and Brett Favre (194).

In that 2003 draft, 32 teams made 262 selections. Thirteen quarterbacks were selected. Only one of them — Carson Palmer, selected No. 1 overall by the Bengals — ever made a Pro Bowl. Romo has made three.

The other quarterbacks selected in the first round that year were Byron Leftwich (seventh), Kyle Boller (19th) and Rex Grossman (22nd). Later rounds saw names such as Chris Simms, Senaca Wallace, Brian St. Pierre, Brooks Bollinger, Drew Henson and Kliff Kingsbury.

“I think more than anything, I was just very raw,” Romo said. “[The scouts] were all right. But at the end of the day, they just didn’t see the things that can separate you.”

Romo was asked what it is about quarterbacks and the draft selection process that can lead to No. 1 overall picks flopping and undrafted free-agents flourishing.

“I think sometimes only certain people can evaluate the quarterback position at a high level,” Romo said. “I think it’s a very tough thing to do because there are so many things that go into it. And I think it’s a difficult position to gauge. Just [the offensive] system alone dictates differing decision-making processes and I think that unless you’re really the guy coaching him and teaching him, you don’t necessarily know his strengths and negatives.”

So what’s the one trait Romo would look for if he were in charge of drafting a quarterback coming out of college?

“Instincts,” he said. “Just their ability to get through progressions at a fast rate. You can always work on accuracy, you can always work on footwork. You can get guys to do the right things and be leaders and all that stuff. But inherently what you can’t teach him is to see the field quickly, react quickly and get through stuff fast. That’s where I find that [teams] just miss the mark the most times with young guys.”

Northern Intelligence

The Packers were formed in 1919, so they’ve played a few games over the years. Last week’s victory over the Vikings marked only the second time in franchise history that they have had a 75-yard touchdown catch and a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown in the same game.

The only other time they have done it was against Tampa Bay on Oct. 2, 1983. The last NFL team to do it was the 49ers back on Nov. 21, 1988.

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Bears quarterback Jay Cutler won’t start Monday against the Packers. But is that good or bad? Yeah, he’s better than Josh McCown. But … Cutler is 1-7 vs. the Packers with nine touchdown passes, 16 interceptions and a 61.5 passer rating.

Of course, Matt Forte isn’t any better against the Pack. Forte averages 51.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry when he faces Green Bay. Come to think of it, the whole Bears team struggles against the Packers. Green Bay has won six in a row, including an NFC title game, while holding Chicago to just seven offensive touchdowns.

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The Lions, who have a bye, are the first team since the 2003 Vikings to have an 800-yard receiver and a running back with 800 total yards through eight games, according to Stats LLC.

Receiver Calvin Johnson, coming off a 329-yard outing against Dallas, has 821 yards. Running back Reggie Bush has 853 total yards (518 rushing, 335 receiving). In 2003, the Vikings had Randy Moss with 878 yards receiving and running back Moe Williams with 801 total yards. Scott Linehan was Vikings offensive coordinator in 2003 and is now Detroit’s OC.

Three observations …

• Now suspended indefinitely, receiver Justin Blackmon has further solidified the Vikings’ selection of Matt Kalil as the no-brainer draft pick of 2012.

• Safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Cardinals’ third-round draft pick and the most controversial figure in this year’s draft, is one of six NFL players with at least two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble. He was named NFL defensive rookie of the month for October.

It took 23 years but the 3M Championship has its first back-to-back winner.
After a red-hot putter allowed him to enter Sunday with a four-shot lead, Kenny Perry continued his momentum into Sunday’s final round at TPC Twin Cities. Perry shot 4-under 68 to win by four over Kevin Sutherland, Scott Dunlap and two-time 3M Championship winner Bernhard Langer.

Troy Merritt, a graduate of Spring Lake Park High School, walked to the final tee with a three-shot lead and slapped hands with fans on both sides of the ropes, knowing he had all but wrapped up his first PGA Tour title.

The Minnesota Twins had one hit through eight innings. But Brian Dozier said his teammates were swinging well and that they need to be a little more convincing at the plate if they want to hold onto the American League's second wild-card spot.